The survival system Yahtzee suggests seems unnecessary. In order to improve the game you need simply to follow the following steps.
1. Increase the need for money- All the mini games and sidequests would seem more worthwhile if you actually needed money for something. This could simply be achieved by getting rid of regenerating health and dead eye (making medicine and chewing tobacco actually useful). The prices of houses could be raised and weapons would have to be bought (or stolen) instead of being given out at the start of missions. Also items, as well as money, should be able to be stolen from stores and you could only shop at that store again if you paid for/ gave back the items you stole.
2. Add more RPG elements to the development of your character- At the start of the game John's accuracy and skills already seem super human. the game would seem more fulfilling if your characters abilities grew more obviously throughout the game. Accuracy and range of fire should start off fairly poor but could be increased by purchasing better fire arms and completing certain challenges(such as sharpshooter challenges). Health capacity could be increased by mixing and using plants that you find in the wilderness (aswell as sealing or purchasing pre made concoctions from stores). Dead eye level would vary depending on the quality of sleep you had (encouraging you to buy better houses and improve your camp-site). Buying better knives and bait would affect the type of animals you attract and the speed at which you skin them. Buying stronger lassos would increase your range and make breaking wild horses easier.
3. Fame and honour affect game play more obviously- I played half the game as a law abiding kiss ass and the other half as a outlaw badass. I never really felt a large difference between the two (besides from some slight changes in prices in certain places and the occasional citizen muttering something along the lines of "John Marsden is a good guy" or "John Marsden is a complete bastard" ). Your honor and fame levels should vary depending on the area you inhabit. This could easily be displayed on your map. ie. In Armadillo you have robbed from stores and killed civilians. In this town and surrounding areas you are a feared outlaw, inhabitants cower and lock themselves inside as soon as you step foot in town. Wanted posters with your face are plastered everywhere. Bounty hunters and law men track you down whilst outlaws and gang members take you under their arm, asking you to take hostages and rob trains. In Mexico however you are seen as a revolutionary hero. People praise your good deeds and you would be treated like a god in the towns you visit. Gang members would show increased hostility towards you, making gang hideouts more difficult and increasing the number of ambushes and duel challenges.
Other ways to improve the supposed disconnection of all the elements within RDR would be to add an RPG like feature to the development of your horse. You could choose to buy better saddles and shoes to increase the horses stamina. You could also steal these items from stores or hijack a horse and take them off that horse (or simply keep that horse). Carriages should also be able to be attached to your horse (stronger horses such as Kentucky saddler could carry larger carriages). Perhaps weapons and items could be stored in these carriages (imagine being able to mount a gattling gun to your wagon and travel around causing wanton destruction everywhere you go). Your horse would lose the carriage but not the upgradable items when it dies and all upgrades could be transferred to any horse that you hitch up. Maybe when you whistle for a horse whilst out in the wilderness a malnourished slow horse appears but not being able to whistle for your horse would become increasingly frustrating.
1. Increase the need for money- All the mini games and sidequests would seem more worthwhile if you actually needed money for something. This could simply be achieved by getting rid of regenerating health and dead eye (making medicine and chewing tobacco actually useful). The prices of houses could be raised and weapons would have to be bought (or stolen) instead of being given out at the start of missions. Also items, as well as money, should be able to be stolen from stores and you could only shop at that store again if you paid for/ gave back the items you stole.
2. Add more RPG elements to the development of your character- At the start of the game John's accuracy and skills already seem super human. the game would seem more fulfilling if your characters abilities grew more obviously throughout the game. Accuracy and range of fire should start off fairly poor but could be increased by purchasing better fire arms and completing certain challenges(such as sharpshooter challenges). Health capacity could be increased by mixing and using plants that you find in the wilderness (aswell as sealing or purchasing pre made concoctions from stores). Dead eye level would vary depending on the quality of sleep you had (encouraging you to buy better houses and improve your camp-site). Buying better knives and bait would affect the type of animals you attract and the speed at which you skin them. Buying stronger lassos would increase your range and make breaking wild horses easier.
3. Fame and honour affect game play more obviously- I played half the game as a law abiding kiss ass and the other half as a outlaw badass. I never really felt a large difference between the two (besides from some slight changes in prices in certain places and the occasional citizen muttering something along the lines of "John Marsden is a good guy" or "John Marsden is a complete bastard" ). Your honor and fame levels should vary depending on the area you inhabit. This could easily be displayed on your map. ie. In Armadillo you have robbed from stores and killed civilians. In this town and surrounding areas you are a feared outlaw, inhabitants cower and lock themselves inside as soon as you step foot in town. Wanted posters with your face are plastered everywhere. Bounty hunters and law men track you down whilst outlaws and gang members take you under their arm, asking you to take hostages and rob trains. In Mexico however you are seen as a revolutionary hero. People praise your good deeds and you would be treated like a god in the towns you visit. Gang members would show increased hostility towards you, making gang hideouts more difficult and increasing the number of ambushes and duel challenges.
Other ways to improve the supposed disconnection of all the elements within RDR would be to add an RPG like feature to the development of your horse. You could choose to buy better saddles and shoes to increase the horses stamina. You could also steal these items from stores or hijack a horse and take them off that horse (or simply keep that horse). Carriages should also be able to be attached to your horse (stronger horses such as Kentucky saddler could carry larger carriages). Perhaps weapons and items could be stored in these carriages (imagine being able to mount a gattling gun to your wagon and travel around causing wanton destruction everywhere you go). Your horse would lose the carriage but not the upgradable items when it dies and all upgrades could be transferred to any horse that you hitch up. Maybe when you whistle for a horse whilst out in the wilderness a malnourished slow horse appears but not being able to whistle for your horse would become increasingly frustrating.
